Well, it's been a while John - you want to bring us up to speed with what's been happening in Out Cold since we last saw you in the UK, and tell us a little about the new record…?

Well, we've been pretty much taking our time writing for the upcoming record. As of this writing all the basic tracks have been recorded at Woolly Mammoth Studio in Boston (the same place where we recorded Warped Sense, but back then it was called Capertown Sound) and is currently in our possession while we do all the rest of the stuff on Mark's equipment. It should be finished and released sometime this summer. We also did another pretty extensive tour of Europe early last year. Other than that, just puttering around, doing the occasional local show and practicing. Usual routine.

Out Cold more often than not are referred to as a Boston band - how comfortable are you with that tag? Do you think that it has helped or hindered the band in any way - how? Were and are you at all influenced by the Boston scene?

We've never considered ourselves part of the Boston scene. We were always, and still are, very disconnected from any scene, Boston or otherwise. It doesn't bother us to be associated with it, though. It's only natural for someone, especially from another part of the country or overseas, to consider us a Boston band because of our relative proximity. It really doesn't matter to us. As for whether it's helped or hindered us, I would have to say, if anything it's probably helped. Boston has such a reputation in hardcore circles that maybe a few people have given us a listen just based on the fact we're associated with the Boston scene. I don't know, though. That's just a possibility. Yeah, we were definitely influenced by bands like the Jerrys Kids, early Gang Green, the FUs, and the Freeze (another example of a band not really appropriately associated with Boston).

Forgetting genres for a minute, and being lumped into this genre or that genre, how would you describe Out Cold? What do you think defines and differentiates the band?

For awhile I considered not referring to ourselves as a hardcore band because I didn't like what the term hardcore had come to mean to most people, so I would call ourselves a fast, violent, angry rocknroll band, and I think that is a good, easily-understood description of us. I think what used to define and differentiate us was just the fact that we were playing old-style hardcore punk because no one else around was. Now that it has really come into vogue and so many bands are playing this style of music, I think what probably differentiates us from a lot of hardcore bands is that we don't just play fast, we also try to write catchy tunes. Mark often says that we're actually a pop band, just sped up and pissed off. I think that's a good description. A lot of hardcore is boring as fuck to me because it's just people playing as fast as they can and screaming. It seems like there's no effort put into the actual songwriting.

I guess that you're the only original member of Out Cold left, so I was curious as what keeps you going? What do you attribute Out Cold's longevity to in this day and age of fast food, quick service punk bands, scenes and genres?

No, I'm not the only original member left. Mark is also an original member. He started off as the bass player, though, so I am the only original member still doing what he started off doing. What's kept us going for so long is, I guess, some kind of emotional need to play this music. We still have something to get out of our systems, I suppose. That's the way I view this type of music, as a catharsis. That probably explains why so many bands of this genre are so short-lived because they get this shit out of their systems fairly quickly and there's no "raison d'être" left for the band.

One thing that's always puzzled me - what is it with you guys and guitarists? Ya seem to go through them faster than most people do shoes…?

Well, that's one of the prices we've had to pay for our longevity. Each member's departure has been a unique situation so there's not like one blanket reason why everyone left. Some got out of punk, some had personal conflicts with other members, pretty much all the reasons you'd expect. It sucks, to be sure, but we've always chosen to get new members rather than break up. I am personally getting really tired of the fluctuating line-up, though. I think we're up to our 15th member or some shit. It's just really hard to gel as a band and be really tight when you're constantly having to break in new members. It wears you down.

Are you still in touch with any of the ex-members of the band? If you are, what are they up to these days? Are any of them still paying in bands?

We're in touch with a handful. Kevin, our original singer, just came up and visited. He lives in North Carolina now, but he still does a band (or I would call it more of a "project") with some people up here called Laughing Light. He just did some recording with Mark the other day. We're also in touch with Dave Pratt, our bassist circa 1996, who recently moved to Texas. While he was here he was doing a band called Bad Lieutenant. I don't know if he's doing a band down there or not. We're also still in touch with Micah, who is doing very well with his solo acoustic folk-country project.

What do you see as being the major differences between the Out Cold of the first self titled record, and the Out Cold of today? Do you think these differences (if indeed they do exist) are readily apparent to any and everyone?

I think the biggest difference is the different songwriting dynamic. Back at the time of the first album there was much more input. Each member of the band contributed lyrics and music on that album (even me!). Now, Mark does literally all the writing, music and lyrics. I function as a kind of collaborator in the sense that Mark & I arrange the music together and I make suggestions here and there but that's about it. As the original members dropped away, first Kevin, then Fred, that collaborative atmosphere dropped away also. That's definitely affected our sound in general. Also, obviously, Kevin's singing style was quite different from Mark's. Lastly, Fred's guitar playing was a big part of the sound of that first album. I think the differences between then and now are definitely readily apparent to everyone. Some people prefer the old stuff and some people prefer the new stuff.

Moving away from the band for a while -knowing that you're a fan, what was it about GG Allin that transformed him into some kind of punk icon? Why do you think he's had such a lasting appeal? Will the scene ever see his like again, or was he a one off? Why?

GG became an icon and remains one because of his extremity and because he was the real deal. I don't believe we'll ever see his like again because he took things to the farthest extreme before anyone. One of the most amazing things to me about GG was that he did what he did in the '80s. If someone did that shit now it wouldn't mean as much because there's so much more tolerance now. Back in the '80s, though, it was hard to even be a little different. To be the way GG was is inconceivable to me. I just don't see how what he did could possibly be eclipsed or even equalled at this point.

What's happening with Acme Records at the moment? Any releases in the pipeline John? What made you want to start your own label and do the same things that made you want to start the label still motivate you today, or have your motivations changed over time? If so, how have they changed?

The label's been dreadfully slow lately. It's been nearly two years since I've released anything which is the longest I've ever gone without releasing anything. This is because everything I seem to take on lately just never seems to come to fruition. I've been dealing with one band in particular (I won't mention names) with whom I've been trying to get something out of for about 2½ years now! It's pretty frustrating as it kinda makes me look bad, but that's just the way it is I guess. I do have a bunch of stuff in the pipeline, but no idea when it will be out. I'll be doing the US CD version of our new record as well as a split 7" with us and Crash & Burn. I'm supposed to be doing the Bad Chopper full-length (CJ Ramone's new band) whenever they get around to recording. I'm supposed to be reissuing White Flag's Wild Kingdom album on CD. Also, I'm releasing a great surf-rock record by a Swedish band called the Outsiders, and finally, possibly an EP by a Japanese hardcore band called Spend4. Again, no time frame on any of this stuff unfortunately, except the new Out Cold album which should be out sometime this summer. I've always wanted to do a label. I've always been one to make tapes for friends of music I like. I've always had this passion for trying to share and spread good music around and a love for records and artwork and stuff like that. Nothing is more satisfying to me than a well-done record. This is still what motivates me, but the business side of it can be absolutely killing. I wish I had someone else to deal with all that shit because I am not business-minded in the least. I hate that side of it.

Do you think that the boundaries of HC have been pushed as far as they can? Is there anywhere left for it go, or are there any new avenues left to be explored? If so, what (in your opinion) are they?

No I don't think the boundries have been pushed as far as possible. Just when you think there's nowhere new left to go, some brilliant band finds some other nuance to expound upon. I don't know what that is or will be, though. As you know, we've never been a band known for charting new musical territory. We like to work within a very established and rigid framework, but when a band can do something exciting and new and do it well, there's nothing quite like it. I think that possibility will always be there. I heard that back around the early 1900s, or sometime thereabouts, people thought to shut down the patent office because they believed there was nothing else left to be invented. How naïve, of course, but I think the analogy is apropos here.

Again, sticking with a similar theme, have we already witnessed the "Golden Age" of Punk / HC? If so, when do you think was the most crucial era of the scene and why, and if not, when do you think that we'll be "enlightened" by it? What, if anything, do you think is missing from today's scene that was a part of it 10, 15 or 20 years ago? How true do you think it is that things were better "back in the day"?

Yeah, I definitely think the "Golden Age" of punk and hardcore has come and gone. That's not to say there can't be some great bands and still a cool scene and all, but the days of the late-'70s/early-'80s will never be surpassed in my opinion. Back then punk and hardcore were a real threat to society and the whole scene was just much more vibrant, electrified and authentic than it is now. I don't think you can recreate that vibe because the times are just different nowadays. I think what's missing from the current state of the scene that was present back then was a real sense of something new, exciting, and even dangerous, in the music and the bands. Now it has a kinda going-through-the-motions feel. I can't really say it was better back then when you would get the shit kicked out of you for being into punk or having no friends and everyone thinking you were a total loser, but having to put up with this kind of shit made it mean more if you know what I mean. It's kind of a weird paradox in a way.

What are your thoughts concerning the increasingly obvious presence and influence of metal in HC? Positive or negative? Why? And, what do you make of the whole "Emo" thing? A crapulent, self-indulgent disease, or a valuable genre of music? Again, why?

I don't like the metal influence in hardcore. If you want to play metal, call it metal. I don't understand why metal bands are considered hardcore just because they don't sing about satan and/or have long hair. I don't what "Emo" is. I've been hearing the term for years but I don't even know what it refers to. Who are some "Emo" bands?

What, if anything, do you think that the time that you have spent in and around the Punk / HC scene has taught you? Is punk / HC more than just music? If so, what more is there in your opinion?

It hasn't really taught me anything. I've just enjoyed my experience in it and continue to do so. I don't really think there's more to it than just music. I'm not one of those "punk rock lifestyle" people. I don't subscribe to any of the tenets of any of the many subgenres of punk or hardcore ideology. I don't feel ashamed to have a decent job or live in the suburbs. I don't feel like I've sold out to the system or any shit like that. I think all that stuff is stupid. To me, it's always been about the music and a personal expression and nothing more. I'm not saying I have no opinion on politics or am devoid of any kind of ideology, but it's just seperate from the music for me.

Are there any plans for Out Cold to tour Europe and the UK again, and how do you find the audiences in the UK and Europe compared to those of the US? Do they, in your opinion, differ? If so, how?

No plans for the UK, but we are planning on returning to Scandinavia in August: Iceland, Norway or Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and possibly Russia. The audiences are definitely better for us in Europe. I'm not too sure why, but we've never had much interest around here. I guess the reasons are probably myriad but the people just seem to be more enthusiastic in Europe which is why we keep going back.

So what's next for Out Cold John?

Right now, just release the record and pull off this tour. That's all for the moment. Can't say what'll happen after that.

Parting comments and last words…

Thanks for the interview. It was nice chatting with you again and keep up the good work on the zine. It's one of the better ones that I'm familiar with and continues to get better! Keep in touch, bro.